IPCC climate report gives us 10 years to save the world

Greenpeace says the release of the IPCC’s special report on climate change must shock the world into immediate action to halve the world’s climate emissions in the next 10 years.

The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms that we must limit the world’s temperature increase to 1.5 degrees if we are to avoid the impacts of catastrophic climate change, and that the agreed global threshold of 2 degrees is not enough.

Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner, Amanda Larsson, says the report shows we do still have a narrow window to stop temperature rise by more than 1.5 degrees, but only if we halve the world’s climate emissions within the next decade.

“We have 10 years to save the world as we know it. This really is our last chance to avoid catastrophic climate change, the effects of which will be felt in our lifetime. We need to pull out all the stops to fast-track clean energy, especially solar, and to clean up our dairy industry through a transition to regenerative farming. We have to act now, and very quickly,” she says.

“While limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is going to be very challenging, it’s still achievable if we accelerate action on all fronts immediately. The IPCC report shows that at a minimum this means halving the entire world’s emissions by 2030, and bringing global carbon emissions to net zero in the next 30 years.

“New Zealand is already emerging as a global leader on climate thanks to our ban on new oil and gas permits. We must continue to be a trailblazer on bold action. As a small nation, our biggest impact is in showing the world that immediate and dramatic action is not only possible, but it’s achievable.”